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LATIN GRAMMAR STUDY GUIDE
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by David G. Jensen
version 1.1 of this work
Each part of speech is followed by its definition; in italics is listed what to memorize about each word in
the Latin vocabulary; then are listed the variable characteristics to identify in order to translate correctly.
NOUN: person, place, thing or idea (nominative singular; genitive singular; and gender)
case: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative or ablative [vocative, locative]
number: singular or plural; gender: masculine, feminine or neuter
PRONOUN: takes the place of a noun or nouns (each type has its own declension)
type: personal, reflexive, relative, interrogative, indefinite or negative
case: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative or ablative
number: singular or plural; gender: masculine, feminine or neuter
ADJECTIVE: modifies a noun or pronoun (either 1st & 2nd or 3rd declension)
case: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative or ablative [vocative]
number: singular or plural; gender: masculine, feminine or neuter
degree: positive, comparative or superlative
VERB: expresses action or state of being (FOUR PRINCIPAL PARTS: 1st person singular, present, active indicative;
present, active infinitive; 1st person, singular, perfect, active indicative; and perfect, passive participle)
finite forms
person: first, second or third; number: singular or plural
tense: present, imperfect or future (imperfect tenses); perfect, pluperfect or future perfect (perfect tenses)
voice: active or passive [reflexive]; mood: indicative, subjunctive or imperative
infinite forms
verbal nouns:
infinitive
tense: present, perfect or future; voice: active or passive
gerund (2nd declension)
case: genitive, dative, accusative or ablative; number: singular; gender: neuter
supine (4th declension)
case: accusative or ablative; number: singular; gender: masculine
verbal adjective:
participle
tense & voice: present active, perfect passive, future active or future passive (aka gerundive)
case: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative or ablative [vocative]
number: singular or plural; gender: masculine, feminine or neuter
ADVERB: modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb ()
degree: positive, comparative or superlative
PREPOSITION: expresses relative position or direction, etc. case required (ablative or accusative)
CONJUNCTION: connects words or groups of words ()
INTERJECTION: expresses surprise or emotion ()
SYNTAX
Latin sentences tend, but are not required, to follow the following pattern:
Subject (Modifier) + Indirect Object (Modifier) + Direct Object (Modifier) + (Modifier) Verb
Note: a modifier can be a word or group of words (phrase or clause)
LATIN GRAMMAR STUDY GUIDE
©2016 by David G. Jensen
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Words represent objects, actions, characteristics, etc. Grammar describes the relations between words. Generally, grammar uses
two methods: analysis changes the word order (syntax), and inflection changes the forms of the words themselves, usually by
adding suffixes. English grammar is primarily analytical, although it retains some inflections; Latin grammar is primarily
inflected, although there are syntactic conventions as well.
A Latin noun has declension, or a set of case endings. Latin has five regular declensions, or groups of nouns which share
particular sets of case endings. These declensions are numbered in order of their members, from most to least. The nominative
singular, genitive singular and gender are listed for each noun in the dictionary. The nominative singular may not be apparent
from the other forms. The genitive singular identifies the declension: 1. –ae; 2. –ī ; 3. –is; 4. –ūs; and 5. –ēī.
Case shows the grammatical function of a noun in a clause or phrase. Cases other than the nominative are called oblique. The
oblique cases are built on the stem of the noun, which may be obtained by dropping the genitive singular ending. The stem may
not be apparent in the nominative singular, as for example in tempus, temporis (stem = tempor-; Latin r changes to s between
vowels, a process called rotacism).
Nominative: shows a subject
Genitive: generally shows possession; it can be called the adjective case, because it causes a noun to modify another noun
Dative: generally shows an indirect object, expressed in English by the prepositions to or for.
Accusative: shows a direct object; it also shows the object of certain prepositions.
Ablative: is the most complex case. As Latin evolved from its ancestral forms, certain case functions coalesced, and the original
case forms disappeared. Thus the ablative unites three originally distinct cases: the true ablative (from), the instrumental (by or
with) and the locative (where or when). The ablative also shows the object of many prepositions;
the ablative without a preposition may often be translated by one of the English prepositions from, by, with, in or at.
Two other cases remain only in certain forms and uses:
Vocative: used for direct address; its forms are identical with the nominative, except the 2nd declension singular –e.
Locative: shows place where; it occurs only in some singular place names of the 1st and 2nd declensions, and with a small group
of other nouns indicating time, place or circumstance. For the most part, its function has been assumed by the ablative.
Number is singular (one) or plural (more than one).
Gender is Latin is usually arbitrary, and so must be memorized for each noun.
Latin adjectives belong either to the first (feminine) and second (masculine or neuter) declensions, or to the third declension.
Third declension adjectives are further distinguished as having one (masculine/feminine/neuter), two (masculine/feminine, or
neuter) or three (masculine, feminine or neuter) different endings to identify gender.
Latin adjectives and adverbs have degree: positive, comparative (Eng. –er, -lier, more) or superlative (Eng. –est, liest, most)
A Latin verb has conjugation, or set of personal endings. Latin has four regular conjugations, which are distinguished by the
stem vowel at the end of the present stem: 1. –ā-; 2. –ē-; 3. –e-; and 4. –ī. The root is the present stem minus the stem vowel.
Latin verb forms are finite (able to be used as the main verb in an independent clause) or infinite (including verbal nouns and
adjectives). The four principle parts provide the following information about a verb:
first: helps identify a verb as regular or irregular; may not be apparent from other forms
second: provides the present stem (minus –re)
third: provides the perfect stem (minus –ī
fourth: provides the supine stem (minus –um or –us)
All forms of a Latin verb on built on one of the three stems:
present stem: present, imperfect and future (the imperfect) tenses; present infinitive; gerund;
present active and future passive (also called gerundive) participles
perfect stem: perfect, pluperfect and future perfect (the perfect) active tenses; perfect active infinitive
supine stem: supine; perfect passive and future active participles
English verbs also have aspect: positive (I say), progressive (I am saying) and emphatic (I do say);
Latin verbs may be translated with any of these three aspects, where applicable.
The majority of prepositions take the ablative case; the most common are these: ā, ab, dē; cum, ex, ē; and prō, prae, sine.
Some prepositions take the accusative case, often expressing motion. Several can take either case, for example:
in + ablative = in or on; in + accusative = into
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LATIN GRAMMAR STUDY GUIDE